Close to Home: Letting them play for the fun of it

One of the true joys of parenting is the chance to relive your childhood. Recently, I had this special opportunity when I coached my son’s baseball team.

I had managed his team for three years in Little League, but this year was different. The county Little League organization had started a new league for 13-year-olds. As with any new venture, it was a bit unorganized as the schedule wasn’t finalized until opening day weekend. Also, one team disbanded one week into the season and another split up after only eight games. Even worse, the primary baseball field was full of gopher holes, especially in the outfield where every hit would bounce in different directions.

What I remember from my youth were summers filled with pickup baseball games: Just getting together with whomever showed up and playing all day till mom yelled it was dinnertime or it got too dark.

I had twin brothers just one year older. The three of us already were the nucleus of a game. One of us would pitch, the other bat and the third would field. Before long, other boys would show up and the real game would commence.

These pickup games were a part of Americana - spontaneous, free fun and part of a whole series of simple games that included hide and seek, kick the can, ditch, etc. You could call them childish games, but I’m sure research psychiatrists would identify all kinds of learning experiences from these activities.

The children of today have no chance for or interest in “spontaneous” fun. The Internet and video games dominate their lives, and all sports, especially baseball, have moved toward “organized fun.” The best players are segregated at early ages and earmarked for travel teams or AAU leagues. It reminds me of the communist systems of the 1970s and ’80s with all the private instruction and the one-sport mentality.

It’s no surprise that participation in sports is in a steady decline throughout the country.

This brings me back to my team from this past spring.

At the first practice, I realized I had a fairly inexperienced team as most of the players possessed fair-to-medium baseball skills, and two boys had never played organized baseball. At the key pitcher position, only two players wanted to pitch, and neither had a good fastball or curve. At the end of practice, I asked the team what they wanted to get out of the season. Of course, they responded that winning was important, but the more exuberant answer was to have fun!

At that moment, I decided that “having fun” would be the No.1 priority. It was a chance for them to experience the pickup games of my childhood. As a result, in most instances I allowed the boys to manage the team. They played different positions, and anyone who wanted to pitch got the chance. At practices, we primarily scrimmaged and had batting sessions, which is what they wanted. Of course, I taught some fundamental skills, but, over time, the emphasis was on playing baseball and having fun.

As the season got underway, the big difference I noticed was in their attitude toward one another. Just like in the pickup games of yesteryear, the boys joked all the time and loved to tease each other after a strike out or an error. I never saw them belittle one another or act mean-spirited or condescending. And I can attest, we made an awful lot of errors.

One game was particularly dreadful as I stopped counting the errors at around 10. But even in that game, which we lost by ?15 runs, the dugout was full of life - laughing, joking and having fun. These boys were playing first and competing second.

I overheard the opposing coaches commenting that our team “is really annoying.” It was true. We didn’t take every game seriously. True, we only won ?five games out of 20 and our baseball wasn’t always at the highest level. But I saw a lot of smiles, heard frequent laughs and noticed the team enjoying playing the game.

Let’s be honest about all youth sports: How many of our children will be playing in their teen years or in high school? Or at the college or pro levels? If you want your child to play serious sports - travel ball is a great option. For the overwhelming majority of kids, they really just want to play, have fun and make friends.

Youth leagues should strive to emphasize the fun side of sports. C’mon, that’s why they’re called games.

Leonard Sbrocco is a former newspaper publisher and editor. He lives in Petaluma.